Lawyer fined Tk 25,000 for fraud in case listing

The High Court has fined a lawyer Tk 25,000 for concealing information about a previous hearing and resorting to fraud in listing a case before the higher court.

The bench of Justice Sheikh Zakir Hossain and Justice Md Zakir Hossain passed the order on Sunday, August 9.

Deputy Attorney General Sultan Mahmud Banna represented the state.

After the order, Deputy Attorney General Sultan Mahmud Banna, in charge of the relevant bench, said a bail petition of accused Shakib alias Shakib Hasan Liton was listed for hearing at serial no 15 before the bench led by Justice Sheikh Zakir Hossain. However, before the hearing, he learned that the case had already been heard by another bench of the High Court.

The Deputy Attorney General informed the court that the case had been relisted by concealing the previous hearing. Upon noticing the matter, the court asked the concerned lawyer, Mohammad Azizur Rahman, to explain.

However, the lawyer could not provide any satisfactory explanation. The court then dismissed the case summarily and fined lawyer Mohammad Azizur Rahman Tk 25,000 for fraud on the court.

Regarding the order, Attorney General Barrister Md Ruhul Quddus Kajal said it is a lawyer's fundamental professional duty to present complete and accurate information to the court.

He said creating opportunities for hearings in multiple benches on the same matter or attempting to influence court orders by concealing previous proceedings is not only against professional ethics but also undermines public trust in the judicial process.